A typical desk, whether configured for a sitting or a standing user, is configured with an empty cavity formed between a work surface of the desk and a floor on which the desk rests, such that the user may rest his or her feet on the floor while working at the desk. To improve the posture of the individual sitting or standing at a given desk, some desks have been configured to include a foot rest where a user may rest his or her foot in an elevated position. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,961,822, 5,826,941, and D671771 disclose such foot rest configurations. While such foot rests may be adjustable, for instance allowing the user to adjust the height at which the user's foot rests, they are not configured to move in a manner that stimulates the user's foot while in use. Rather, the above foot rests merely provide a place for the foot to rest.
However, recent studies have shown that some desk users, particularly those struggling with poor proprioception, are able to improve their mental focus in learning and working environments through stimulation of their external limbs, such as their feet. Proprioception is often described as a sixth sense—the subconscious awareness of where the limbs of a body are positioned, even when those limbs are not activated or within view. A person with poor proprioception lacks this subconscious awareness. Hence, a brain lacking fully developed proprioception becomes easily distracted when trying and failing to locate input from inactive limbs of the body, such as from feet resting under a desk.
Presently, individuals with poor proprioception attempt to improve their mental focus through such actions as tapping their feet under their desks or rocking their front chair legs back while rocking their feet on the floor, using a physical stimulus to send their brains the same input that the sensory systems of an individuals with more developed proprioception would naturally send, even in the absence of external stimulation. However, such behaviors can cause disruptions, and as such, are often frowned upon in group learning or working environments. Therefore, a foot device assembly is needed to provide a quiet, non-distracting means of stimulating an individual desk user's foot under his or her desk.
One foot device assembly aimed at stimulating a user's foot under a desk is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,061,278 and 8,291,833. This device has a foot engageable support, including a rotatable pedal, connected to a pair of swinging elongated arms. The elongated arms swing below the desk, causing the foot engageable member to oscillate in a pendulum-like motion beneath the work surface of the desk. However, while possessing some foot stimulating potential, when installed on desks for younger students, such as 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, this foot device assembly still has a high potential for causing distractions in the learning environment. Some children of this age could kick and flip this foot device around to cause disruptions or to compete with friends over who can flip the foot device the highest. Additionally, the combination of the fully rotatable nature of the pedal with the oscillating nature of the foot device leads to a potential for the user's heel to hit the ground as the user swings his or her foot on the device, causing a distracting sound. As such, there is a need for a foot device assembly that can provide the necessary stimulus to allow a person with lesser developed proprioception to focus, while limiting further distraction or disruption in the surrounding learning or working environment.
This invention relates to improvements to some of the apparatus described above, and to solutions to some of the problems raised or not solved thereby.